PROJ00434

• Contract/PO #: C153337
• Contractor Name: Farmers Extension Ditch & Highland Lake Lateral Company
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 1
• County: Weld
• Bill Number: FSA
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

The ditch has irregular embankment shapes and characteristics. Thus, there is

great variation in both velocity and depth ,of flow over the length of the ditch.

Scour and erosion have eaten a substantial:portion of the ditch away over the

years and it is quite visible. Portions of embankment have erosion cracks where

water has seeped in, and adversely affecte~ the stability of the ditch banks.

It is only a matter of time before these r~gions will give way as they have in

other areas. Large trees have grown out of the embankment over the years which

impede flow and promote scour. There are many locations along the ditch where

rip-rap has been placed to try and prevent :this scour. Most predominately, this

has been done just downstream of check strcictures.

Vegetation, including the trees mentioned ~bove, have rooted deep into the em-

bankments. When water is checked high enoJgh, it tends to follow a path along

these roots, eventually passing through the embankment. This seepage is detri-

mental in terms of the embankment stability and more importantly, plays havoc

with the farmers' fields. Bedrock is shallow in many places and once the water

has seeped from the channel, it travels underground along the bedrock to places

where it rises to the surface due to capillary actions, crippling the growth of

the crop and preventing harvest. A large quantity of water is lost through seepage

and with the present day price of water, conservation will be a critical factor

in evaluation of the rehabilitation altern~tives.

Tail waters from fields above this ditch and stormwaters have ,been allowed to

enter the ditch for years. There are many 10cations on the uphill side of the

dtich where these waters have carved channels in the embankment. These waters

have carried silts and trash into the ditch which are undersirable. They clog

outlets and settle to the bottom of the ditch, reducing the carrying capacity.

We will further address this problem and re~ommend possible solutions later.

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